The theme to this year’s Fire Prevention Week is “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety,” but what if you can’t hear, or have a mobility issue that makes it difficult evacuate? For the estimated 1 billion people with disabilities worldwide, being notified of a fire and getting out of a building in an emergency often requires much more preplanning.

 

Mark Larson, a former Idaho state fire marshal who has become an advocate and consultant for the National Disability Rights Network, explains common misconceptions about the disability community, why it is important for safety agencies to plan with rather than for people with disabilities, and how the fire service and disability community can better work together (1:05).

To learn more and find contacts, visit the National Disability Rights Network

 

Fire Protection Research Foundation report, “Review of Alarm Technologies for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Populations.”

 

Fire Prevention Week tip sheet, Safety for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing